I was Scared of Pretty Girls and Starting Conversations
by SavannahHarris27
Summary: Maki knew this idol stuff would end eventually, and she knew that now she had no choice but to follow her family's plan for her: medical school. No more of this idol business. Nico tries to change her mind, and accidentally reveals her feelings. Before Maki can react Nico runs. Two years later, Nico is back, and Maki doesn't know if she's ready to face her true feelings for Nico.
1. Chapter 1

-1-

Maki smiled to herself, tears in her eyes. She, along with the other members of Muse, were waiting for the third years-no- the _graduates_ to exit the front of the school. They were all going to say goodbye together and try not to cry as they separated once and for all. Now, Maki wouldn't admit it, but she was as upset as the others. Every day leading up to this felt like a countdown, every moment accompanied by a ticking time bomb in the back of everyone's minds.

It had to happen eventually, school idols weren't forever, Maki knew that, but she didn't have to look forward to the end of things. Maki's mother was ecstatic. Finally, she said, you can focus on your dream of becoming a doctor rather than this silly music nonsense. When her mother's face shined that brightly Maki couldn't muster up the courage to tell her that becoming a doctor was her mother's dream, not hers. Maki wanted to stay in the music industry. In fact, what she most wanted to do was travel abroad, and go to Julliard, in New York City.

She knew she had two more years to try to convince her parents to let her stay a musician, but she didn't have much hope. In fact, they merely tolerated all the idol business, so she was scared to even bring it up. Maki smiled to herself bitterly. Maybe it was for the best that she give up this stupid music stuff, she probably would never get anywhere anyway. No one ever did. They just got lucky with all the idol stuff.

Before Maki could ponder the subject more she saw the three girls exit the school. They were in their uniforms still, and looked as elegant as ever. Well, except for Nico. Nozomi and Eli walked side by side, smiling at each other. Eli was flushed and Nozomi looked smug. Maki snorted. They thought she didn't notice their fingers brushing against each other. Nozomi and Eli were as sneaky as a hurricane. Everyone knew about them, they just didn't say anything. It was the principle of the thing.

Nico was walking a little apart from them, staring ahead at the rest of the girls, who were all crying. She looked sad too, but Maki noticed that she looked a little annoyed to be with Nozomi and Eli. It was probably because of all the flirtatious glances Nozomi kept shooting at Eli. Nozomi walked faster as she reached the group of girls, almost breaking out into a run. She tackled Honoka into a hug, with everyone else joining in. "I'll miss you all…" Nozomi was crying, her tears leaving small dark spots on Honoka's blazer. Maki stood a little apart from the hug, twirling her hair. Social situations still made her feel a bit…awkward.

Nico turned around. "You aren't going to stand there like an idiot forever are you?" Umi and Rin turned around, laughing as Maki awkwardly stood to the side. She flushed, embarrassed. Eli turned around now, untangling herself from Nozomi and Hanayo. "Come on Maki, after all we've been through are you still going to act like a little tsundere." With that everyone laughed. Maki flushed again, throwing herself reluctantly around Eli. The tears finally began spilling over and Maki finally gave in. She felt Kotori laying her head on her shoulder and knew Rin was burying her face in her hair. When the girls pulled apart Honoka laughed.

"It's not the end of the world, we're going to see each other again, this isn't the end." Her voice was still shaky, betraying her happy tone. The third years all shared uneasy glances. Maki caught them instantly. "Spill it." Nozomi sighed. "We aren't going to see each other so…often anymore. At least, not us three." Hanayo frowned. "W-What do you mean?" Nico narrowed her eyes. "Look, we're all 18 now, we have to start planning for the rest of our lives. We have to earn a living, and follow our dreams." Eli nodded. "Nozomi…and I will be moving to Osaka for the next few years. She wants to go to school there for business and I have a career as a dancer ahead of me. I'm picking up ballet again."

Honoka smiled. "That's so awesome, I'm so proud of you both!" Maki smiled too. "The distance is worth it if it makes you happy. Besides, you at least have someone to love with you." Eli flushed immediately. "W-w-what are you talking about? Me and Nozomi? You have got to be-"Nozomi laughed, causing everyone to turn to her. "Oh Elichi, did you think they didn't know." Eli flushed, frowning to herself. "I thought we were being careful." Nico even laughed. "Yeah we walked in on you guys making out on the roof a few months ago, ever since then we've kept it a secret. A private joke if you will." Maki frowned. "Not a secret to Nozomi apparently." Nozomi shrugged. "I thought it was obvious." Everyone laughed as Eli blushed. Suddenly Umi piped up.

"What about you Nico? Where are you going?" Nico stopped laughing and sighed, a little resigned. "You're going to think it's stupid, you might even be mad at me." Kotori giggled, fluttering the eyelashes on those huge eyes of hers. "We could never be mad at you Nico, just say it." Nico struggled to speak, opening her mouth and then closing it suddenly. She smiled, throwing herself into her idol mode. "Super idol Nico Nico Nii is-" Nozomi growled. "Don't start that. Just tell them or you'll have some divine punishment coming your way." Her hands lowered.

Nico gulped, looking deflated. "Fine fine. I have a contract out to start a solo career, as a professional idol. You guys know, this has been my dream for like, forever. I can't stop singing and dancing. So, I will be going on tour for two years, in many different countries. I leave tomorrow for Osaka as well to prepare for my first show." Maki widened her eyes. Nico…managed to get a solo career, and she was going on tour? She was so lucky that she was able to do what she wanted. Maki was even a little jealous.

Before she could speak Nico looked at the watch on her wrist. "It's about that time. I'm heading out." Without another word she began walking, with the other girls at her heels. Maki frowned as Nico veered left. "Nico, your house is the other way." Nico turned around, flustered. "Oh yeah, right. Well, I have to stop by the store on the way home, Cotarou needs some more juice, and he only drinks a specific kind. I told Mom that I'd get it."

Maki sighed. "I'm going that way so I might as well go with you." She turned to everyone else, tearing up as she saw Nozomi and Eli. "Nozomi, Eli, thanks for everything." They smiled, both knowing that there was nothing else to say. Maki set off with Nico, walking beside the smaller girl. They were silent until Nico spoke up, staring at Maki with quizzical eyes. "So what will you do now?" It was so quiet Maki almost didn't hear it. "Um...Well...I'm going to finish school, go to medical school like my parents want, work at one of our hospitals, get married, pop out an ankle biter or two and then die rich and happy." Nico frowned at Maki's answer. "What, was that not what you wanted to hear?"

Nico laughed. "That's what you plan on doing? Come on Maki! I know as well as you do that you want to be a musician. You can do it! Apply to a fancy music school, I know you can pay the tuition. Follow your dream." Maki shook her head. "My parents would never allow it. Besides, it's just a childish dream." She stared out at the crowds of smiling people in the streets, and watched as they all went about their day. They were all content with their lives, just like her. "You don't have to be."

Maki turned to Nico, who had stopped walking. She hadn't realized that she was talking about loud. Nico was frowning again, looking at the ground. "You don't have to be content. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to live an amazing life and be able to do whatever you want…I…deserve that." Maki saw a tear fall from Nico's eye. She pulled Nico to a nearby bus bench, sitting down with her. "Nico…what's wrong. This isn't just about me."

Nico looked up, her eyes glistening. "My family really needs money, you can imagine how hard it is for four kids on a single income. I…I'm hoping that by making money as an idol I can help my mom out. I know it's my dream but it's also for my mom. I can't afford to do anything else. My management company pays for everything for me so this is really my only option right now. I want to be an idol, yeah, but a solo career is going to be so lonely. I…I'm scared that it won't work out. That it will just be another disappointment for my mom. I have to be perfect, or I really don't know what's going to happen to my family."

Maki was speechless. Nico needed money? She had never talked about this before. Maki smiled a little, patting Nico on the back. "Nico, you're talented and cute, the audiences will go wild for you. You can do it." Nico sniffled, her voice muffled in her lap. "If I can do it then you can too." Maki frowned. "What?" Nico shrugged. "If I can do it then you can too. You can follow your dreams. You can branch out from your parents and do what you want." Maki shook her head. "It's not that simple. I'm just being practical. This is what I have to do." "But you don't! You can afford to do whatever you want! You need to do what you want for once!" Nico yelled, shocking Maki.

Maki calmly spoke, knowing that rationality was best in this situation. "It would be great if I could do whatever I wanted but I can't. I've troubled my parents enough with this idol mess. I might as well just give up and do what they say. Besides, I'm not the type for spontaneity. My whole life has been planned out for me, I can't stray from the plan. I just can't." Nico waved her hands in the air. "You can be whoever you want to be! You can be spontaneous!" Maki laughed. "Your life seems to have a plan too. You've had this solo career planned forever, I can tell. Who are you to lecture me on spontaneity?" Nico flushed with anger and regret. She leaned in to Maki, narrowing her eyes. "You know what, how's this for spontaneous?"

She pressed her lips against Maki's. Maki immediately tensed, embarrassed and scared. This was her first kiss, and it was with a girl…with Nico. It was only brief but it was enough to send electricity through Maki's entire body. Nico pulled away, looking at the ground. "I…I've gotta go." Without another word she ran from the bench, her pigtails whipping Maki in the face as she left. "Nico, wait!" Maki yelled after Nico but got nothing but silence and the image of the short girl crying as she ran away.


	2. Chapter 2

2 years later

Maki smoothed her dress down as she walked into the school auditorium. It looked the same as always: immaculate grey walls, beautiful plush seats, and a huge stage. In fact, this was the stage that she had performed on many times, back in her idol days. Now it was different. Maki was a third year, it had been a long time since those days. Actually, she was sure that her music days were over. Maki still loved the piano, and singing and dancing. But she didn't have time for any of that anymore. Most of her time was dedicated to schoolwork and getting into medical school. She barely did anything social and passed my final exams with flying colors, as my parents expected.

Maki was given a free ride to any school of her choosing, but apparently what she chose didn't matter. She had the credentials to get into her dream school, Julliard, but her parents made sure she applied and got in to Gizou Medical University. Maki's parents were 'proud' of course, but they all knew she was getting in, especially because of their work in the medical field. Music was put on the backburner, and sadly, so was friendship.

Maki heard from Nozomi and Eli every once in a while, Eli was busy with her up and coming career as a dancer and Nozomi was trying to get through business school. Nozomi really had the makings as a businesswoman, but Maki knew she also loved working at her new local shrine. She claimed to have 'spiritual power', anyways. Maki saw Kotori often. She worked with some local boutiques in Akihabara and had started her own fashion collection. She also picked up work at the maid café again, because she said she really loved making people smile.

Umi was generally at home with her family. She was going to inherit their dojo, and she was training for it constantly. She already excelled at kendo and archery, but she started to take up more of her mother's side of the business, which was traditional dance. Obviously she was great at everything. Honoka decided to work at her family's store, for now. She was only 19, and she said she had her whole life in front of her to decide what to do. Maki knew she wanted to be an idol again, much like Kotori, but there was just no time.

The only person Maki hadn't heard from was Nico. She hadn't heard _from_ her but she sure heard _about_ her. Nico was selling herself short when she was afraid that her idol stuff wouldn't work out. After her first performance it was clear, Nico held back a lot in Muse. Her dancing was perfect and she had a beautiful voice, plus she could make anyone smile. In the past two years it seemed like she was everywhere. She was on billboards everywhere, her face on every bus, and her songs were constantly on the radio. It seemed like no one could escape the spell she cast on the world.

Maki spent days after that kiss with Nico obsessing over what to do next. She texted Nico dozens of times, even called, but there was no answer. By the time she built up the courage to go to Nico's apartment it was too late. Nico had already gone to Osaka to prepare. Maki's messages were always read, but there were never answers. On her social media Nico posted photos with Nozomi, Eli, even some of the other girls. She never even spoke to Maki. Everyone assumed Nico and Maki hung out still, but they didn't know. No one knew about that kiss.

It frustrated Maki to no end. Did Nico even like her? Did she regret the kiss? Had Maki done something wrong? Did Nico feel embarrassed? There had to be some reason for the two yearlong radio silence. Maki tried to forget Nico but it was hard. Every time she saw Nico's face on TV or even heard her song she remembered. Maki could admit that after that kiss she had a small crush on Nico, but she knew it wouldn't happen. She was more interested in finding out why Nico had avoided her for so long.

There was one instance where Maki blew her chance. Nico was doing a live performance in Akiba, and Maki built up enough courage to go. She awkwardly stood in the back of the crowd during the packed street performance. It was now or never, she thought back then, a little less than a year ago. When Nico walked out onstage she surveyed the crowd and their eyes met, both full of emotions and regret. Nico and Maki stared, until Maki decided she'd had enough. She simply walked away, too nervous to say anything else. That was the last contact she'd tried to make with Nico.

Maki hadn't dated. At. All. She had figured out by now that she liked girls, but no one seemed appealing. Nico was the only girl on her mind. No one else seemed good enough for her, it seemed. After the second years graduated the only people she hung out with were Rin and Hanayo, she didn't speak to anyone else in her class. It seemed to everyone that stuck up Maki was back, since she wasn't an idol anymore. Maki simply didn't care, and preferred to be alone.

She still wrote music occasionally, but was doing it less and less. Everything she wrote was about…her. Every piece of music was too full of emotion, and Maki couldn't deal with it, so she stopped writing all that much. Everything reminded her of her time as an idol, and everything seemed to reek of Nico. It was too much to handle.

Maki sat down in one of the chairs, in the center of the room. This was it. She was graduating. This was her final moment. Her time to shine. Maki smiled to herself. Today was all about her, she wouldn't let anything spoil that. Tonight the second years were throwing a graduation party, so she had that to enjoy. Obviously Nico said she couldn't make it. But that was okay. Maki didn't need her anymore. She tried to smile again. This was supposed to be the best day of her life, so why was Nico invading her every thought?

(three hours later)

Graduation was over, Maki never had to come back to school ever. She was walking beside Rin and Hanayo, none of them speaking. They were walking out of school, through the same doors they had watched their friends walk out of years earlier. Today it was their turn. And it was the final graduation they would experience. Honoka was waiting for them outside, to take them back to Maki's house. They were throwing the party there because it was so big.

Rin pulled Honoka into a hug. "Nyah! We made it! No more school! No more books! No more stupid exams!" Honoka laughed. "Now it's time for fun! Whoo!" Hanayo and Maki smiled, watching the two hug. Maki twirled her hair awkwardly. "Isn't it about time to get back? We need to get to my house, everyone else is there." Maki pulled out her phone to call her driver before Honoka stopped her. "No that won't be necessary." Maki stopped, hand in midair. "Why? You don't expect to walk do you? If that's the case, I'll ride and you can walk." Honoka laughed nervously. "Actually, we have a ride. I hope you don't mind that I invited my new…girlfriend…to the party."

Maki's mouth dropped open. "You have a girlfriend?! No way! Who?" She already had an idea, but wanted to test it. Rin laughed. "I think I know who it is." Hanayo and Rin shared a conspirator glance at each other. Honoka blushed as she led them to a large white car, with black tinted windows. The front window of the driver's seat rolled down, revealing none other than Tsubasa Kira, the lead singer of A-Rise. (gotta throw in an otp haha)Maki did a fist pump. "I knew it!" She yelled. "You guys always kind of flirted with each other. You were just as obviously as Nozomi and Eli." Tsubasa laughed. "I told Honoka you guys would find out eventually. We've only been dating for a few months, but it isn't like we haven't been seen in public together. I thought that we would have gotten more exposure from the media because of A-Rise's popularity, but we haven't been in any tabloids thank goodness."

Honoka laughed nervously. "I'm so glad you guys are okay with us dating! I was so nervous!" Rin gave Honoka a hug. "Honoka you can date whoever you want! We're happy for you!" Maki coughed. "As much as I'm enjoying all of this love and friendship, we really need to get back to my place." Tusbasa nodded. "I agree, hop in guys!" Honoka jumped in the passenger seat while Maki, Rin, and Hanayo climbed into the back. The car was really nice. It had nice leather interior and even TV's on the back of the seats.

Hanayo squealed. "Wow! This car is really cool!" Tsubasa smiled as they began driving. "Thanks, A-rise has made a good amount of money, so we decided to go all out and get some nice cars, before this we were driving our parents' cars, but now that we're adults we decided that we needed to fend for ourselves." Maki nodded. "That makes sense. You guys are everywhere, the only idol I see that has the same amount of popularity as you is-"

Before Maki could finish the entire car broke into a cheer. "Nico Nico Nii!" Tsubasa laughed. "Oh yeah she's everywhere alright. She's our biggest rival in fact. It's actually kind of embarrassing that the three of us can't hold our own against one tiny girl." Honoka smirked. "She is tiny." They noticed Maki's amused smile falter a bit. Rin turned to her. "Maki what's wrong? Are you mad at Nico or something?" Maki flinched. "Ah..haha no it's nothing, I'm just a bit sad that we're graduating that's all." Hanayo stared at her. "That can't be it. You know, you and Nico never post pictures together, and you never talk about each other either."

Honoka gasped. "Oh my gosh did you guys have a fight?" Maki bit her lip. "Everything is fine. Nico and I don't hang out as often as we should but it's fine." Tsubasa frowned. "Hey Maki, you may be fooling them but you aren't fooling me. There's a problem, isn't there." Maki grabbed her hair, a nervous habit, and looked around the car. Three pairs of eyes were on her expectantly, while Tsubasa had to watch the road. "Umm…uh..." Honoka prodded her from the front seat. "Maki, we've been friends for a long time, just tell us."

Maki sighed. "Fine. You know what, whatever. Nico hasn't spoken to me or answered any of my messages since she graduated. She's avoiding me, that's why she isn't coming tonight, and that's why you never see us in the same room." Tsubasa nodded. "I expected as much, the question is: why?" Everyone frowned, trying to think. Honoka snapped. "Maki, you didn't kiss her did you?" Maki's face heated up as she blinked rapidly. "W-w-what do you mean? Of course I didn't kiss her, why would I do that?"

She looked out the window, watching the buildings pass, trying to figure out how to get out of this situation. They couldn't find out, it would be so embarrassing. Rin tapped her. "Maki, explain." Maki bit her lip, knowing it was over. She shrugged. "Um well Nico might have kissed me and ran off and yeah that happened and then I never heard from her ever again." Honoka gasped. "You and Nico, of course! You're so tsundere, it makes so much sense!" Maki flushed. "What's that supposed to mean?!" Honoka winked. "Nothing!"

Tsubasa sighed. "Well, I guess I'm going to have to find some way to get you and Nico in the same room. It won't be easy, but I can do it." Maki shook her head. "No, never, it won't work. I'm convinced she hates me." Tsubasa laughed. "I'm convinced she's terrified of rejection and is taking it out on you. Don't worry about it, we'll see."

Maki protested but Tsubasa cut her off. "Don't worry about it, you have a party to enjoy." Maki sighed. "So be it." But a part of her knew that getting her and Nico into the same room would never happen.

(Sorry for the long chapter, I just kept writing lol. TusbasaxHonk is one of my OTP's by the way so I had to include them)


	3. Chapter 3

They arrived at my house with varying degrees of hope and determination on their faces. Tsubasa and Honoka were busy plotting how to get Maki and Nico in the same room, while Rin and Hanayo kept trying to comfort her like she was upset or something. She wasn't upset at all, Maki was fine. But she was still a little annoyed about bringing all of that up. It was in the past, and even though she thought about it often, bringing it up wouldn't change anything.

They walked up the driveway into the stately house, stopping to admire the beauty. Maki smirked. As many times as they'd been here they never got used to how big it was. Well, except for Tsubasa. Rin pat Maki's shoulder again. "Maki, it will all be okay. We'll get you and Nico together and you can have a beautiful wedding and have a lot of children and be happy forever." She flushed immediately, pulling away from Rin. "W-what's that supposed to mean?!" Rin laughed. "Still the same old Maki I see, as tsundere as ever." Maki flushed again, turning away.

They reached the front door and it immediately opened, showing Kotori. "Hey guys! Congratulations on graduating." She looked in surprise at Tsubasa. "Oh hi…Tsubasa?" Honoka smiled at her as she took Tsubasa's hand in hers. "She's my girlfriend, sorry, we wanted to keep it on the down low." Kotori shook herself from her surprise and smiled sweetly. "Of course! Welcome Tsubasa!" The aforementioned Tsubasa smiled nicely, taking in the scenery with a cool gaze. "You have a lovely home Maki." She looked around, wondering how a home could be that big for three people.

Maki acknowledged her with a nod. "Thanks, anyway, who else is here?" Kotori thought to herself. "Me, Umi, and Erena and Anju. You know, I was wondering why they were here. I assumed Honoka invited them to be nice. Now it makes sense." Maki rolled her eyes to herself. How could she not have realized that was the reason they were there. Honestly, Kotori was as clueless as Honoka sometimes. Maki tapped her foot. "We shouldn't just wait outside, let's go in already."

She began walking inside, the other girls following her. She walked through the immaculate foyer, leading them to the sitting room she knew everyone would be in. Sure enough, Erena and Anju were sitting on the couch together, in a conversation with Umi. Maki had to admit, they both looked as gorgeous as ever. They had all graduated, so they weren't wearing UTX uniforms anymore. Erena wore a simple black sheath with her long purple hair flowing freely. Anju was dressed in a purple sundress, also with loose hair.

Umi was wearing jean shorts and a black t-shirt, classic casual wear was her specialty. They turned to the door as the six girls walked in. Anju broke into a smile. "Hey guys, what's up, it's been a while." Hanayo looked awestruck, as always. She stared in amazement at the two idols in front of her. "Um…hello, i-i-I'm doing g-great…" Anju laughed. "You don't have to be afraid of me, I don't bite." Her laugh was tinkly, like a fairies. Hanayo nodded quickly. "Um o-okay." Maki smiled. "Hey, thanks for coming."

Erena smiled from the couch, brushing her long hair behind her ear. "Anything for our fellow idols." Maki suddenly turned to Umi, who was staring at them with a small smile. "Hi Umi." Umi stood up, tears in her eyes. She walked over to Maki and the other first years and threw her arms around them. Maki stiffened up as they were all thrown together. Rin laughed. "Wow Umi, you normally aren't this affectionate." Umi pulled her face out from Maki's hair and smiled. "I can't believe you guys are graduating, none of us go to Otonokizaka anymore."

Kotori smiled from behind them. "Now we all will have more time to hang out together, it will be fun." Umi smile sadly. "Not Maki, she's gonna focus on getting her medical degree, you better work hard." Maki flinched, not wanting to think about medical school. Tsubasa, always observant, spoke up. "Maki, what's wrong? Are you nervous about medical school?" All the eyes in the room were on Maki. She frowned a little, looking at the ground. "No, I just don't really care, that's all." Umi gasped. "How can you not care about getting into the best medical school in the country? God you rich people are all the same!"  
Maki clenched her teeth. "It's not like that! I know it's a good opportunity but it's not what I want to be doing." Anju frowned. "What do you want to do?" Maki shrugged. "I want to be a musician." She mumbled it quietly, her hand covering her face. Kotori frowned. "What was that, I didn't catch it." Maki frowned. "I said I WANT TO BE A MUSICIAN!" Everyone flinched at her loud voice. Rin looked around cautiously. "Maki, don't be so loud, your parents will hear you."

Rin and Hanayo knew about the musician thing, they were the only people besides Nico, because they were the closest to Maki. She laughed. "Are you kidding me? My parents were out of the house after wishing me a happy graduation. They're on their way to some resort for a vacation. Besides, they wouldn't have even noticed." Maki looked bitter as she smiled at the floor. Honoka noticed and put her usual bright smile on her face. "Hey, let's not bring up bad things! It's graduation, it's a happy time. We should be celebrating."

Maki sighed to herself. "I suppose so. Anyway, when are Nozomi and Eli getting here?" Kotori pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Actually, right about-" The doorbell rang. Rin and Hanayo ran to the door, with Maki behind them, and threw it open. They were excited to see their seniors. Maki knew that Hanayo and Rin didn't see them as much as she did. The door opened to reveal a smiling Nozomi and Eli.

Nozomi was dressed in a long grey skirt and a lavender blouse, while Eli had on a royal blue skater dress. Nozomi let go of Eli's hand as soon as the door opened and launched herself at the girls she formerly knew as first years. Maki was pulled into the hug as well, and for once she accepted it. Nozomi let go and stared at them with happiness. Eli smiled calmly. "Hello everyone." Nozomi smiled, searching everyone's faces. Her gaze stopped on Maki's and she smirked. "My my Maki, you look so glum. You better shape up quickly or I'll have to punish you." Maki frowned. "What do you mean? I'm perfectly happy."

Nozomi narrowed her eyes. "I warned you." Without another word she lunged at Maki, grabbing her by the breasts and squeezing. Maki squeaked as Nozomi chuckled. "You've grown, but you still have a ways to go." Maki turned to Eli who was chuckling. "Come on Eli get her off of me." Eli snapped her fingers. "Nozomi get off of her or you don't get any kisses." Nozomi immediately dropped Maki, who was flushed with embarrassment.

As she walked back to Eli she discreetly placed on of her infamous tarot cards in Maki's hand. Maki pulled the card up, wondering what Nozomi was up to. _The Lovers,_ the card read. Maki blushed and stared at Nozomi, who looked at her as if nothing had happened. Maki frowned to herself. Could Nozomi…know? Did Nico tell her?

Maki looked at Nozomi with a confused gaze, squinting as she tried to figure out what the purple-haired girl knew. Nozomi only smirked back, leaving Maki more confused than ever as the girl grabbed her girlfriend's hands. Nozomi smiled sweetly. "Let's get to the party, I'm excited to see everyone." She pulled past us with Eli, walking through the three of us. When she passed Maki she whispered quietly enough so only she could hear, "The Star", before smiling to herself and walking away. Hanayo and Rin followed, leaving Maki standing by herself, speechless.


	4. Chapter 4

Everyone sat in the living room, reminiscing over old times. The days of school idols were far from over, but the years these girls spent as idols were definitely the peak of popularity. Erena, Anju, Honoka, and Tsubasa sat on one couch. Eli, Nozomi, Umi, and Kotori sat on the other. Rin and Hanayo occupied the arm chairs while Maki took the love seat on the other side. She couldn't help but notice that there was still room for one more in this room, and she knew everyone else did too. But they pretended not to notice as they overenthusiastically talked about the past.

Erena snorted as she told a funny story about Tsubasa. "You should have seen her when she saw Honoka perform for the first time. Her face turned bright red and she couldn't look away. And when she saw you guys downstairs at UTX, she practically flew down there to get you." Everyone laughed. Anju smirked, continuing the story. "There was one thing she always said about Honoka." Anju took on a flirty high voice. "Oh my gosh Kousaka Honoka is soooo-"

Tsubasa lunged across the couch, putting a hand over Anju's mouth. Anju's story was immediately halted as she tried to pry Tsubasa's hand off of her face. Maki laughed along with everyone, crossing her legs. This was actually fun, and it was helping her get her mind off of everything. Nozomi raised her hand. "I have a story." She sat up, moving away from Eli's embrace. "One day when we were off of practice I was hanging out with Eli in the student council room." Maki snorted. "I don't think hanging out is the right word but carry on." Nozomi smiled and continued her story.

"I had to leave early, I had a lot of homework that night. So I left early and was walking through the music wing. I heard piano music and just knew that our little Maki was playing. So I walked over to listen, I knew if she knew I was there she would stop playing, so I was planning on hiding by the door. Little did I know someone was already there."

Eli leaned in to Nozomi, speaking with clenched teeth. "Are you sure talking about this is the best idea?" Nozomi ignored her and kept talking. "When I rounded the corner I saw little Nicochii crouched on the floor in front of the door, I could tell she was listening. She had her eyes closed and was smiling. So I left, not wanting to disturb her, she looked so happy."

Maki bit her lip as she listened to the story. Nico listened to her play? That was…interesting information. Maki got to thinking. How many times had Nico sat there listening? How many times had Maki heard a noise outside and written it off as a passing student or her imagination, when it was Nico the whole time. Nozomi chuckled as she saw Maki's frustration. "Didn't expect that did you?" Maki turned bright red and shook her head as she looked down.

Honoka threw a cookie across the table, hitting Nozomi in the forehead. "Nozomi that was not nice, don't embarrass Maki like that." Nozomi chuckled. "Touchy, touchy. You'll see soon enough." Honoka frowned and Tsubasa smirked. "Honoka it's fine, Maki's perfectly oka-" Before she could finish her sentence a song filled the room. _"Dancing, dancing, non-stop my dancing! Dancing, dancing, non-stop my dancing!"_ Tsubasa reached into her small purse and grabbed her phone. "One second." She answered the phone and immediately the room could hear a frenzied yelling, though they couldn't tell who it was.

Tsubasa smiled to herself, murmuring affirmatory responses at the person. "Yes." More yelling. "Pretty bad." Tsubasa. More yelling. "Alright then. Bye" The other person hung up the phone. They all looked expectantly at Tsubasa, wondering what that was all about. Even Erena and Anju looked puzzled. Erena leaned over Honoka to speak to Tsubasa. "Was that our manager? Is something wrong?" Tsubasa smiled, looking like the cat that ate the canary. "No of course not. It was just a friend, everything is fine." Maki narrowed her eyes, not believing that at all. She was acting too suspicious. Maki widened her eyes as she saw Tsubasa give Nozomi an affirmatory wink. After seeing that, she was sure of it. They were up to something. From the looks of it, Eli had figured it out as well. She narrowed her own eyes at Nozomi, who was smiling at everyone like nothing had happened.

Umi spoke up from the couch. "Are you two up to something? You aren't being very subtle." Tsubasa chuckled. "You'll see soon. I promise we aren't doing anything bad, it will all come to the surface soon enough." Maki narrowed her eyes. "I don't trust you, but okay, whatever" Nozomi smiled sweetly. "Don't worry about it, anyways, let's get back to the stories, shall we?" Honoka spoke up, smiling. "I have a story, its super-duper funny." Everyone giggled at seeing Honoka's old happy-go-lucky attitude.

Honoka giggled along. "Well, I know Hanayo knows this story. One day I was downstairs working and Umi was up in my room. Hanayo was looking for my room and she walked in on Umi practicing her idol poses. Umi caught her and it was hilarious watching her get embarrassed. Who knew Umi wanted to be a cute idol?" Umi flushed. "It's not funny! I just wanted to be ready for our next show!" Kotori giggled. "It's fine Umi, no one is making fun of you." Umi grumbled. "Well, okay then."

Maki stood up. 'I'm going to the bathroom. Feel free to continue the stories while I'm gone." Maki stood up, walking to the bathroom, while the other continued excitedly talking. She didn't catch the glance that Tsubasa and Nozomi shared.

(five minutes later)

Suddenly as Maki was washing her hands the doorbell rang, then it rang again, and again. She frowned. Her family was wealthy and known, so reporters often tried to get into the house. If it was one of them she was going to flip out. Maki quickly dried her hands and heard the door open. She couldn't make out the voices from upstairs but she heard yelling. Her stomach dropped, what if something bad was happening, and her friends were getting hurt because of it?

Maki raced down the stairs and quietly slid by the foyer, being careful not to be seen. When she heard the voice her heart stopped. "Maki?! Where is she? What happened to her?! Spit it out Tsubasa!" Maki would recognize that voice anywhere. "Nico…" She murmured. What was she doing here after all this time? And what was she talking about? Nothing happened to her, she was perfectly fine. Suddenly it all clicked. The mysterious phone call, the glances, the cards. Nozomi and Tsubasa were plotting to get them together. Of course. Nico kept yelling at everyone until suddenly Maki got the courage to shakily walk around the corner.

Nico's eyes widened when she saw Maki was safe and sound. Maki turned to Nozomi. "What the hell is going on?" Nozomi chuckled. "Well we may have told Nicochii that something happened to you to get her over here, given that we haven't been able to get you two into the same room in two years." Maki took Nico in. Her hair was a little longer, but still in twin-tails. She wore an expression of anger and fear. She wasn't in her normal idol attire, but instead wore a simple pair of black shorts and a red shirt to match her bows. She looked like she had run here.

Maki and Nico stared at each other, each unable to talk. Everyone watched from the sidelines, unable to break the silence. Nico spoke. "Maki…" Maki couldn't take it, she didn't want to talk to someone who stole her first kiss and then abandoned her. She looked around, noticing an exit in between Honoka and Kotori, and she ran. A chorus of "Maki!" was heard but she paid no attention. Maki ran and ran and ran just like Nico had all those years ago, and didn't stop until she reached her music room.


	5. Chapter 5

Maki threw open the door to the spacious music room, leaving it slightly ajar. The tears started to run down her face as she opened the large black piano, sitting down on the small seat. Maki's tears dripped off of her chin onto the floor as she sobbed. She hadn't cried this hard in a long time, and this was new to her. Mostly she was angry, yet also confused and upset. Why had Nico come back after all this time? What could she possibly have to say to her that had to wait two years?

She shook her head, blinking away more tears. How could she trust someone who just left her like that? How? No one in their right minds would. Maki sighed. "She probably doesn't even like me at all, maybe she hates me, who knows…" She thought about the fear in Nico's voice, when she heard that something happened to Maki. She thought about the intense eye contact, the stare that seemed to hold thousands of unsaid words.

Nico couldn't…love her…or anything. That was impossible. Maki laid her fingers on the keys, brushing them slightly. "Why do I have to care about you so much?" The tears started to begin again but Maki swept them away, opting to grab a musical score. It was a song she had written a few months ago, obviously about Nico, but it would do. She had to play something, anything, to calm herself down. She pushed the first key slowly, and began to sing.

 **I was scared of dentists and the dark  
I was scared of pretty girls and starting conversations  
Oh, all my friends are turning green  
you're the magician's assistant in their dreams**

 **Oh, and they come unstuck**

 **Lady, running down to the riptide  
Taken away to the dark side  
I wanna be your left hand man  
I love you when you're singing that song and  
I got a lump in my throat because  
You're gonna sing the words wrong**

 **There's this movie that I think you'll like  
this guy decides to quit his job and heads to New York City  
this cowboy's running from himself  
and she's been living on the highest shelf**

 **Oh, and they come unstuck**

 **Lady, running down to the riptide  
Taken away to the dark side  
I wanna be your left hand man  
I love you when you're singing that song and  
I got a lump in my throat because  
You're gonna sing the words wrong**

 **I just wanna, I just wanna know  
If you're gonna, if you're gonna stay  
I just gotta, I just gotta know  
I can't have it, I can't have it any other way  
I swear she's destined for the screen  
Closest thing to Michelle Pfeiffer that you've ever seen, oh**

 **Lady, running down to the riptide  
Taken away to the dark side  
I wanna be your left hand man  
I love you when you're singing that song and  
I got a lump in my throat because  
You're gonna sing the words wrong**

 **Oh lady, running down to the riptide  
Taken away to the dark side  
I wanna be your left hand man  
I love you when you're singing that song and  
I got a lump in my throat because  
You're gonna sing the words wrong**

 **Oh lady, running down to the riptide  
Taken away to the dark side  
I wanna be your left hand man  
I love you when you're singing that song and  
I got a lump in my throat because  
You're gonna sing the words wrong  
I got a lump in my throat because you're gonna sing the words wrong**

Maki sighed after the final note, smiling to herself. It was an okay song, but it was still nice to play. She heard a small noise in the back of the room, but didn't move, mistaking it for a trick of the mind. A powerful voice suddenly struck out. "I really liked the song you know." Maki froze, slowly turning around on the bench. Her face flushed when she saw that it was Nico. Her hand was twirling one of her two twin tails as she leaned on the doorframe. Nico was smiling, almost wistfully.

Maki frowned. "W-what are you doing here?" Nico shrugged, walking into the room. "I thought that I should come and talk to you. Well, after Nozomi and Tsubasa gave me an earful." Maki shook her head, looking at the ground. "That isn't what I meant, why did you come back?" Nico flinched a little. "I had my reasons for leaving, and for that I'm sorry okay." She threw a small smile in Maki's direction. "All that doesn't have to matter. What matters is the here and now. Let's just hang out like we used to and nothing will break, everything will be fine."  
Maki stood up from the bench, walking over to Nico. She looked up in anger. "You can't just pretend that never happened. You kissed me and then avoided me for two years. And don't even make excuses. You saw everyone else but me and I know you have my number. What's wrong with you? Did I do something wrong?"  
Nico flinched again, quickly regaining her composure. "It's not you, it's me. Everything was wrong, and you know it." Maki frowned. "What do you mean?" Nico seemed to be steering this conversation away from the topic. Nico shrugged. "I wasn't pretty, I wasn't very good at the idol stuff, and there wasn't anything special about me. All I had was a fake personality and some basic dancing skills."

She laughed bitterly. "How was I supposed to compare to the princess of the group. You're great at everything, unlike me. I just thought…" Maki prompted her. "You thought what?" Nico sighed. "I thought I wasn't good enough for you okay?! I thought you would reject me, that's why I avoided you. In my mind leaving you was better than being rejected by the person you'd loved for a year!"

Nico's eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with her hands. "Forget I said that." A muffled voice protruded from under the hands. Maki's face flushed and her eyes widened. "W-w-what? I can't just forget that!" Nico and Maki stared at each other in confusion and fear for a moment before Maki sighed. "I really need to grow up. I can't just freeze every time something startles me. Well, I guess it's time for me to tell you my feelings about all of this."

Maki pretended to ponder the thoughts. Nico, on the other hand, was still frozen in shock. Maki shot her a smirk. "Nico Yazawa, well, I never really noticed her until we started the club, no offense to her. Sure I noticed how pretty she was but I didn't realize how much I cared about her until she kissed me. That was great. Then she abandoned me. I couldn't get up the nerve to seek her out myself because I thought, you know, leaving her is better than being rejected by someone you love."

Maki smiled at Nico. "So I see we had the same feelings about that, right?" Nico frowned. "I never knew you were so bold, Maki." Maki frowned. "U-um what do you me-um I mean yes I am okay!" She smiled at Nico. "Both of us have a lot of growing up to do." Nico smiled. "Yeah I guess so. Anyway, I love you Maki, just know that. I never meant to hurt you." Maki sighed. "I suppose I'm to blame too, I could have sought you out but I didn't. We're both at fault. But I l-love you too alright?"

Nico flushed. "S-so bold!" Maki laughed, wiping away the final tears. "You dork, let's go back to the party." Maki held out her hand, letting Nico quickly clasp onto it. She smiled at the warm touch, and walked to the door. Nico swung open the door revealing ten bodies, whom all fell on the floor at once except for one. Nozomi stood against the wall, smiling. "I see my cards were right once again." She shot Maki and Nico a flirtatious stare, which they both flinched at. They stepped over the other girls, who were sprawled on the floor, and walked back into the living room.

Nozomi snickered. "If only it was that easy to get the rest of them together…ara ara." She shot a glance at the other members of Muse before following the couple back.

(There will be an epilogue, obviously Maki has to decide what to do about music school, but this is the final big chapter. Hope you liked)


	6. Epilogue

Maki frowned nervously at Nico, biting her lip. "I don't know if I can do this." Nico smiled at her, squeezing her hand. "You can do this. I believe it you. Besides, if something goes wrong I'll take care of you, don't worry about it, okay?" When she smiled at Maki again she lost it, feeling the tears come to her eyes. "I'm scared, what if they get angry at me?" Nico sighed. "They're bound to get angry, but let's hope for the best." Maki thought back to the months prior. She had been terrified to tell her parents that she was dating a girl, but they had been accepting of her. They told Maki that as long as she was responsible she could date whoever she wanted, to which Maki blushed and excused herself quickly.

They loved Nico, though they had only met her three times. They obviously knew of her, but after meeting the famous idol they realized how down to earth she was and how good she was for Maki. Maki blew her bangs away from her face, sighing. If only they could realize that music school would be good for her too. But it didn't matter what they wanted. What did matter was that she was supposed to be leaving for Tokyo right now for orientation, but she didn't tell her parents that she wasn't going. Instead she canceled her train and she picked up Nico, driving back to her house.

It was time to tell them what she really wanted to do. Maki turned to Nico. "I think I'm ready." Nico smiled. "You can do it." Maki slowly knocked on the door of her parents home office, hearing the sounds echo throughout the empty house. Her father's gruff voice rang out. "Enter." She slowly swung open the door, walking inside with Nico in tow. Her parents looked up from their work with identical looks of shock. Her mom frowned. "Maki, you're supposed to be on your way to Tokyo! What are you doing here?"

Her dad narrowed his eyes. "I'm asking the same question. You idiot! Did you miss your train because you were with Nico?" Maki flinched, but was encouraged to speak from Nico's gaze. "I canceled my train." She squeezed Nico's hand in fear. Her dad roared. "You did?! Why would you do that?" Maki sighed, looking down. "Look, I'm 18, it's time for me to choose what I want to do. To be frank, I don't care about all this medicine stuff at all, in fact, I find doctors to be quite boring. I'm going to be a musician w-whether you like it or not!"

Her mom frowned. "You've always acted like you've enjoyed medicine." Maki felt the tears begin spilling. "Well I don't...I thought you would never let me do anything music related if I got on your nerves. I know you hate that I like music." Her dad spoke up. "You're damn right. You aren't going into music, I forbid it."

Maki smiled bitterly. "It's a little late for that. I'm going to Julliard, my plane leaves in two hours." her dad stood up, slamming his hands on the desk. "Like hell you are! I refuse to pay for something so ridiculous!" Nico piped up from beside Maki. "If I may, it's a bit stupid for you to say that. Obviously Maki got a full scholarship, she doesn't need your stupid money. I'm going to provide for her." Maki turned in surprise to Nico, who was smiling at her like she was the best thing in the entire world.

Maki's father laughed. "You have to stay here in Japan to do that idol crap, so have fun earning anything." Nico laughed. "You really are an idiot. I'm on paid hiatus. Meaning: full pay. We'll be fine. Anyway, we didn't come for your approval, we came to let you know what to expect." Maki nodded. "It's my life, and I'm going to live it the way that I want it, whether you like that or not."

Maki's mom looked up from her desk. She had been surprisingly quiet the entire time. She looked at Maki with sad eyes. "Honey, is this really what you want to do with your life?" Her Dad turned in shock to her Mom. "There are no negotiations, she cannot do this!" Maki's mother strategically ignored him. "If this is what you want to do...you're an adult now...I don't think we have the right to stop you!" Her Dad's mouth dropped open. "How dare you oppose me? Our daughter is better than this! We can't just let her ruin the family's name with this stupid music career."

Maki flushed. "How exactly would I ruin the name of the family?" Her dad laughed. "You were okay at that idol thing but you can't compete with big time musicians. You're just going to crash and burn like all subpar musicians do." Maki opened her mouth but couldn't find the words to say. Nico, on the other hand, had plenty to make up for it. She stormed forward, pointing her finger in Maki's dad's face.

Maki's Dad bared his teeth. "Listen here you half-witted idol you can't just be so disrespectful to me like this!" Nico shoved him backwards. "No, you can't be that disrespectful to Maki! She's an amazing musician but you don't care enough to listen to her sing or play or anything! You're never around when she needs you and frankly you've never even listened to what she wants to do! You're both awful parents! Maki is going to live her dream...with me! And whether you accept it or not doesn't really matter."

Maki's eyes widened in shock. Nico was...standing up for her like no one had ever done before. She was even too scared to strand up to her parents. She would never have talked to them like that. Maki's Dad was fuming. "I swear if you ever say something like that to me again." Nico took a step back. She flashed a smug look. "Touch me and I'll sue. My team and I could buy and sell you."

Maki's dad spoke up. "Just go. Get out of this house, and don't think about ever coming back until you want stop this silly music nonsense." Maki's face hardened. "I'm not going to be pushed around by you anymore, guess I'll see you never." Nico laughed. "yeah maybe she'll send you tickets to her first concert." Maki grabbed Nico's hand. "Come on let's go. I have all my stuff already. Bye." Without giving her parents another glance she walked out of the room.

As the doors shut Nico's cocky glare softened. "Are you okay?" There were tears in maki's eyes but she wiped them away. "I expected that. I need to grow up anyway. Come on, we have a plane to catch soon." Nico smiled at her. "I'm so excited for us to start our lives together, who knows what will happen to us." Maki smiled at the small girl next to her and kissed her quickly. "Yeah...who knows..."

Four Years Later

Maki turned to Honoka who was running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. "Honoka, relax! we need to make this special for Nico!" She sighed and stopped running. "I know, but I'm nervous." Kotori smiled nervously next to her. "Me too." maki laughed. "I should be nervous, I'm the one who has to go up there first. They're going to eat me alive out there, you know how they love Nico." Nozomi laughed. "But they ship you with her even more, it's like a dream come true for the fans."

They were all backstage at the Tokyo Dome. Nico and Maki had gotten back from Julliard a few weeks ago, Maki graduated of course. She was going to be the composer for Nico and many other artists at her company, as well as a part time idol and performer. Today they were holding her first concert since they had returned, which featured a comeback performance from Muse. Everyone was super nervous about it. maki, on the other hand, had written a duet with Nico that they were going to perform.

It wasn't some lovey dovey ballad, it was the opposite. It was the tsundere song of the century. They were going to knock them dead. Right now Nico was perfoming her own songs, which Maki could hear from backstage, and the crowd was going wild. She was wearing a pink getup and when Maki walked out she would shed her garment for her old Otinokizaka uniform, which Maki was also wearing.

She turned to all of her old friends, watching them interact. Honoka had grown up a little more but was still the same as always. Kotori had come out of her shell, and was a fashion icon. Umi was more confident than ever. Hanayo and Rin were as lively as they had ever been. Eli was smiling as she looked over them with Nozomi. Maki felt a hand on my shoulder, and turned to see that Nozomi had appeared there. "We really grew up didn't we..." Maki smiled at her. "yeah we really did." She giggled, a small laugh.

"Back then you would have blushed and thrown me away from you, you're the one who has grown up Maki." She smiled. "Thanks, now, let's give this concert everything we've got." A stagehand appeared. "Maki, you're on." She smiled at everyone. "Wish me luck." Maki flounced onto the stage, acting as tsundere as she used to. The crowd roared. Maki frowned at Nico. "It's not like I wanted to do this concert with you anyway, I just wasn't busy." The crowd cheered.

Nico played again. "Of course you wanted to do a concert with super idol Nico Yazawa! Now.." She turned to the audience. "Maki and I wrote a song together, we hope you love it!" Maki and Nico flew across the stage from each other, glaring at each other with fake annoyance.

 **Are you looking at me? Don't look at me!**  
 **Wanna wanna wanna, it's a trap!**  
 **Are you an ally? Or are you an enemy?**  
 **Wanna wanna wanna, it's a trap!**

Nico flew past Maki, waving and winking at her. Maki smirked as she sang. Nico was still the cute idol she used to be, even in her early twenties. She was rocking the stage, hyping up the audience as she sung about her unspoken love for Maki.

 **(Why are you always looking at me?)**  
 **(You're always looking at me too aren't you!)**  
 **(I'm only looking at you because you looked at me first!)**  
 **(See! So you WERE looking!)**

They walked around each other, accusing and glaring, just like the old days. The old Maki and Nico would have blushed and refused to sing this song at all, but they were different people now. They didn't have to worry about other people opinions, or about if the other liked them or not. The new Nico and Maki had spent four years together, just spent getting used to each other. While they had clashing personalities, making it hard to be together all the time, they really did fit together perfectly.

 **No way, you ran into me again today? Are you telling me it's a coincidence?**  
 **Or is it all part of your plan? How suspicious!**  
 **(Idiot!) You're overthinking this too much (But you know!) How can I not?**  
 **Are you looking at me? Don't look at me!**  
 **Yeah... I knew it...**

Maki really wasn't paying attention to the song, she had heard it thousands of times. After all, she was the one that had spent weeks composing it. What she was watching was the way Nico looked onstage. She smiled and laughed as she played with the audience's feelings, and it wasn't fake. She clearly enjoyed all of this, and was living her dream. Maki smiled as she watched the joy vibrate off of Nico.

 **I should try and talk to her; At this rate,**  
 **I'm going to keep worrying whether she's an ally or an enemy**

Nico walked up to Maki, poking her in the stomach as she fake frowned. Maki saw the love in her eyes and played along, twirling her air and turning away like an annoyed parent during her part. Nico huffed as the chorus began and they got into the intense choreography.

 **It's not fair, it's not fair, you're hiding your true intentions**  
 **See! Our eyes just met again!**  
 **It's not fair, it's not fair, you're hiding your true intentions and it's captivating me**  
 **Ahh, your magnetism just isn't fair! (Are you looking at me?) (Don't look at me!)**

They danced their hearts out as they sung about unsaid love. Maki was a bit out of breath but she was still fit enough to do this. Their voices rang out throughout the concert as the audience screamed proclamations at them. Maki turned to Nico, pointing suspiciously at her as they danced away.

 **Aren't you coming here? Come here!**  
 **Doki Doki Doki, your motives are dishonest!**  
 **Are you hoping to be good friends? Or do you wish to be rivals?**  
 **Doki Doki Doki, your motives are dishonest!**

They flew to each other again, striking the ending pose. Maki and Nico's intertwined hands sent the audience into a frenzy. The two girls panted and laughed, embracing each other. The audience screamed louder. Nico whispered in Maki's ear. "I knew you could do it!" The audience took that as some sort of love confession, and they went insane. This was more applause then Maki had ever gotten in her entire life.

Nico spoke into her mic. "Thank you very much everybody. Now, Maki and I have a special surprise for all of you next!" They ran backstage, quickly stopping behind the curtain. Nico's smile dropped as she frowned a bit at Maki. "That was awesome but...are you sure you're okay that the world can't know we're actually together?" Maki smiled, Nico had brought this up a dozen times, worried that Maki's feelings would be hurt. Maki smiled. "Of course it's okay. I was a school idol for a year after all, I get that you can't damage your image. The more the fans want to date you, the more merch. The idol industry is cutthroat." Nico sighed. "I know it's just...I don't want to have to pretend you don't exist."

Maki laughed. "As long as we can hang out and be alone together you can do whatever you want. I think we're fine just the way we are, we've lasted this long haven't we?" Nico finally smiled. "I guess we have." Maki smiled again, winking. "Now you understand why I have to do this." She pulled Nico in for a kiss, the smaller girl's eyes widened in surprise but she eventually melted into Maki.

A call was heard. "So bold Maki! You wouldn't happen to have one of those for me would you?" The two girls broke apart to see Nozomi calling them, with the other members of Muse smiling. Maki laughed. "You know, back in high school that would have scared me, but I know now that Nozomi is just a big softie." The girls all laughed, remembering the old days.

Maki smiled and held out her hand. "Okay everyone, let's do this. Let's make this the best performance we've ever had!" Honoka frowned. "That's my line!" She put her hand in anyway. Nico followed along with everyone else as they did their signature hand motion. "Muse...Music...START!" Finally, they rushed out onto the stage, embracing the future.

(The song is ZURUI NO MAGNETIC TODAY and it's over! thank you so much for reading! I might do a NozoEli story but I haven't decided yet. I hope you loved it)


End file.
